The Devon Group designs and delivers measurable PR programs that enable providers of HR technology solutions and services to build credibility, generate qualified sales leads and stake claims to new markets.

Strategic PR & Communications

Mar 20

Mar 20 Now Trending: The Death of Google Reader, eHarmony Recruits + Shopping Etsy at the Mall

Another busy week, both on- and off-line. This week’s buzz includes a sendoff to an old friend, the possibility of finding a new one, and more. Let’s take a look:

Google Reader – Cue the Imperial March. Bloggers and internet aficionados around the world cried out in agony last week when Google announced the end of the beloved RSS feed aggregator. Despite a growing petition to save Reader, Google is set to kill off the feed reader as of July 1, 2013 citing a decline in usage. A sign of what’s to come for Google users? Some fear what’s in store for Gmail while those alternate aggregator sites like Feedly and BlogLovin’ rejoice.

eHarmony – The online dating giant is making the leap from everlasting love to building business partnerships. Media Jobs Daily reports that eHarmony hopes to “match supervisors with potential employees based on personalities, work habits, hobbies and other things.” Can eHarmony spark a relationship between employer and a potential employee candidate, or will the idea flame out? Either way, it appears there is a recruiter in town.

Facebook – Appears that Mark Zuckerberg is finally accepting the power of Twitter. Despite long-standing friction between the two social media sites, Facebook is reportedly working on incorporating the hashtag into status updates. Originally intended simply to make tweet content searchable, over time the hashtag also developed into a form of creative expression across Twitter, Instagram, various memes and so on. Facebook is hard at work testing out hashtag integration, focusing on any possible revenue generation tags may create. In the meantime, the site continues to roll out its most recent facelift.

Etsy – What began in 2005 as an eBay alternative for users to sell their handmade and vintage items, Etsy has grown into a huge marketplace inspiring entrepreneurs from around the world to set up shop online. Reporting $895.1 million in sales and over 850,000 individual sellers in 2012, Etsy is moving into wholesale. Retailers like Nordstrom and West Elm are collaborating with the site to curate and launch in store collections that feature items from Etsy sellers and artists. Big business seems to agree that this may be evidence of a new trend with consumers abandoning online shopping carts and heading back to the mall.

So it seems, for this week at least, eHarmony, Etsy and Facebook are still fiddling with their followings, while Google is alienating theirs. By most accounts, Google gets a big thumbs down (125,000 names and counting don’t lie) while Feedly wins racking up some 500,000+ new accounts. #untilnexttime